Tag: Inspiration

Today I’d just like to address the statement “Being a Vegan is too Hard”. I uploaded the picture on instagram, click here, of this incredible, 100% vegan burger, I ate at a local restaurant and it just made me think. Being vegan is now easier than ever. More and more companies are taking responsibility and offering food and products which are safe for vegans. Granted, they are only doing this for profit, supply meets demand and all that, but it still means that veganism is being presented to the mainstream and is easily accessible. It feels like every week I see an announcement that a shop or restaurant has a new range of vegan food/has changed the recipe of a meal to make it vegan. For example; just last week Sainsburys released a delicious range of vegan cheeses, now nicknamed Gary, and even McDonald’s have made their burger (if you ask for no mayo) and fries vegan friendly. The food industry really is revolutionising, the dairy industry is declining rapidly and veganism is rising at that same pace. Just look at the statistics for veganunary. 2016 saw a rise of 5x the amount of people participating, and 6 months on 50% of them had remained vegan, that’s a lot of people.

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. I guess what I’m trying to say is this. Don’t use the excuse that being vegan is too hard, educate yourself and come to the decision based on actual logic rather than laziness. Yes, we might have to read labels and such, but what’s 5 minutes out of your day.

Lately I have been thinking a lot. Assessing my life and just spending time reflecting on where I am right now, in this present moment. I came to a few conclusions; one being that I am probably the happiest I have ever been, but one stood out, and that was this blog, in particular the fact that I don’t write for this blog half as much as I should, and would like. Honestly, uploading a blog post is my favourite thing to do. Just seeing the likes come in (granted it isn’t many, but it’s still super cool) always feels extremely rewarding, yet, due to laziness, I haven’t uploaded a blog post in almost a month and this must change. So I have decided to make a bold decision, one which I aim to stick to and complete, and that is to upload an Instagram picture and hopefully an accompanying blog post every day for 365 days, or a year, as 365 days is known. I feel this will be a great way to document the year and maybe even inspire others as there isn’t much positivity on social media these days. Now, hear me out, the blog post may not happen every day. In an ideal world it will, but uni and stuff, so sometimes it will only be a picture, or a very short post, but still, there will be something. And it won’t just be a stupid Instagram picture either, it will be something that has inspired me in that day, something I’ve done etc. Kind of like a mini blog post in itself. But yeah, I have made a new Instagram account for this (so not the one on the side of this page), I would love it if you could follow it. The account is @mrharrisondavis (just click that and it should appear like magic).

Anyway, that’s all from me. Hope you’re all doling well and thanks for reading. Keep smiling Harrison.

So I thought I’d share some inspiration that persuaded and helped me to go Vegan, along with some motivational content I watch on a regular basis now that I am Vegan. Now the content I will be featuring uses a variety of activism methods, some calm and ‘nicer’, some aggressive in its approach and language and some which uses shocking images to emphasise its truths. So yeah, there’s your warning.

Documentaries

Earthlings: Okay this was my tipping point in terms of going Vegan, or vegetarian at the time. It is probably the saddest and most influential documentary I will ever watch. It goes through each of the ways humans exploit, hurt or kill other earthlings showing videos of examples, and it’s safe to say these videos don’t hold back, showing you every detail in order to portray its message. It really is shocking but, if you do find it shocking, then maybe it’s time to make a change, like I did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB_ZMiYy_OQ&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DPB_ZMiYy_OQ&has_verified=1

Cowspiracy: Now you have probably heard of this amazing documentary. It has recently been made available on Netflix with none other than 2016 Oscar winning actor (we can hope) Leonardo Di Caprio as a producer. Cowspiracy is a very intelligent documentary, exposing the animal agriculture as the leading cause of global warming, far ahead of any other industry with 51% of Carbon Dioxide emissions, using scientific facts from non-biased, reliable sources. It’s definitely worth a watch if you give a shit about earth and the environment, as we all should, since it is very eye opening and has convinced many to think consciously about their diet choices, I love it! http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

Websites

http://nutritionfacts.org/: This website is amazing at showing you the science behind nutrition and in particular the wealth of benefits that come with eating plant based. It is run by Michael Gregor M.D. who is a NYT best-selling author and provides some of the best research on nutrition you will ever find. He also does amazing talks, for example this one, which are extremely informative and despite what you may initially think, they are presented in an entertaining style. Definitely worth checking out.

YouTube People

Vegan Gains: I talked about VG briefly in my last post, he is really what started the ball rolling in me becoming Vegan. Now his content isn’t for everyone, he is aggressive in his activism and uses a lot of bad language but I find it funny and very informative. He concentrates on the fitness industry, exposing ‘fitness’ personalities who spread false information/lie to their audience in order to make money off of them. He doesn’t just say that what these people are saying is wrong, he backs it up with comprehensive scientific data and studies, again in an entertaining and comedic manner. So yeah, if you like fitness and Veganism he is definitely worth a watch. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr2eKhGzPhN5RPVk5dd5o3g

Durianrider: Harley aka Durianrider is another who could be considered controversial. He, like Vegan Gains, portrays his information in an aggressive manner and also concentrates on fitness, cycling in particular. The advice he gives is very helpful, and this is proven by the overwhelming responses he gets off of his fans. If you want someone who uploads very regular content and is not afraid to say it how it is, the Durianrider is your guy. https://www.youtube.com/user/durianriders

Timothy: Timothy, also known as Tim the Human, is widely considered ‘The Vegan Prince’. Unlike Durianrider and Vegan Gains he is a lot calmer and laid back in his activism and this rings better with a lot of people. Not only is Tim, what seems, an extremely nice guy, he is also a freak athlete and free runner. He has captained Team Europe in Ninja Warrior twice and won as well as breaking records in the singles competition. If you want some inspiration for how to live a peaceful and ethical life then watch Tim and check out his Parkour show reels, they really are out of this world. https://www.youtube.com/user/99timshi

Gary Yourofsky Speech

The ‘best speech you will ever hear’ by Gary Yourofsky deserves a category of it’s own for the simple fact that it really does live up to its name. Probably the most inspirational video on YouTube, in my opinion, and there’s not much I can say about this that hasn’t already been said, you have to watch it for yourself. Trust me, it’s amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Okay so there are some of my favourite sources of inspiration and amazing content regarding Veganism. Feel free to check them out and let me know if you like any of the stuff mentioned as much as I do. Also, who do you take your inspiration from? Would be interesting to find out. Keep smiling, Harrison 🙂

Inspiration comes in the form of complete binary opposites. If you have inspiration life is good (in terms of productiveness and stuff), work is productive and you generally enjoy yourself, whereas if you’re lacking inspiration things begin to feel like chores and efficiency begins to plummet. As a blogger inspiration is a vital ingredient in my life. I like to keep my posts constant and frequent (depsite what my posting schedule may say) and in order to do so I need something interesting and/or appealing/enjoyable to write about and therefore inspiration. The good thing about inspiration is that it’s fluid, different people take inspiration from different things and it can come, or go, at any time. For example; you can take inspiration from things like films, books, or any other piece of creative text, or something as simple as witnessing an act of kindness, or maybe a beautiful Gandhi quote. Anything that perks your creativity and gives you the incentive to act on this is classed as inspiration. For me, inspiration comes in many different forms for the varying areas of my life. My inspiration to keep fit and healthy comes from people like Tony Horton and my Dad, my inspiration to write comes from authors such as Roald Dahl, travellers such as Ben Brown (hence the URL) and amazing fellow bloggers who upload awesome content on a regular basis. I also take inspiration from people I know and have respect for in real life, primarily my friends and family. It intrigues me to know where other people take inspiration, so if you;ve read this far please do let me know (i’ll provide you with a virtual emoji cookie in the comments).

From that I’ll leave you with this quote from one of the influential people of our life time, Steve Jobs. (I love this quote).